Candy Box is a new online game that has become a minor Internet phenomenon. It's a free browser-based RPG, complete with quests, potions, monsters, and equipment. It's not an MMO and there are zero polygons in it. There is lots of candy, though, and even lollipops.

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You might start out the game thinking something like this: "This is no game–I just keep getting candy, and all I can do is eat it. That's it! Oh wait, I can throw it on the ground now–groundbreaking, ha. Wait, a merchant appeared! A lollipop? That's useless! Hold on, the merchant will trade for a sword!" Thus the adventure begins.

Welcome to New Candyland The game doesn't really start until you encounter the merchant with hypnotic little "a" eyes, and his nose is a chiseled, stately "L." From him you get your wooden sword, and "Inventory" and "Quest" tabs appear–time to go on an adventure. The first location is the charming Peaceful Forest. The trees are just lines ||||, and this is you: \ o /. Yes, I can make art too.

The locations get increasingly more structured and creative. Your character will automatically walk through the level and fight; it's a simple system in which both combatants strike each other until the other one dies. Meanwhile, you use a variety of potions and scrolls to help you out. You'll find items and maps to new places as you progress. It's amazingly simple, surprisingly well done, and just plain fun. Is there that much of a difference between this and World of Warcraft?

Watching the Candy Stock Market Candy, which is the essence of the game, is steadily generated every second you have the browser window open. A lollipop mechanic also keeps you engaged with the candy economy. Planting lollipops is fun, too, because the output starts at an agonizing 1 per hour, but as you get more and replant what you reap, the rate grows from several lollipops per hour, to several per minute, and eventually per second. You don't actually see anything grow: it's just numbers, but the numbers make the game roll and you'll be rolling along with it. I left my browser open overnight and reaped the lollipop benefits the next day.

There are games that let you grow your skills or farms passively, without any work, and they tend to be boring;but Candy Box somehow manages to make it interesting. Maybe it's due to the visibility – rather than waiting 12 hours for an object to suddenly finish (ahem, Farmville) you watch the numbers grow and can use them instantly, on anything.

It's also entertaining because the game's mechanics are slowly peeled away as you spend more time with it. I won't spoil too much, but you'll discover a few complex mechanics, like the Cauldron that lets you mix potions (using an expertly code/text-crafted recipe book). My lollipop treasury reached several million, and it still wasn't enough – there's always an upgrade to purchase, even if it is only to increase my rate of candy acquisition. And will anything happen if I keep throwing candy on the ground?

Eat All the Candies Candy Box is a sort of a small phenomenon. There's a statistics page (link) that actively tracks how many people have played the game (380,000 and counting, since the game was released about a month ago; what's the most popular sword; and so on, giving the game a sort of social aspect. An addictive RPG vein runs through the game. There is a lot to admire about the game's enthralling and simplistic design. It's sort of a throwback that harkens back to the glory days of text-adventure games.

There's so much to uncover in Candy Box, and it continues to surprise at every step – it starts going outside its own boundaries, it has a sense of humor, a ton of secrets, and is fairly challenging. It's the also ultimate "who cares about graphics" manifesto, proving that this type of bare-bones visuals can make a compelling and entertaining experience – right there in your browser, at any time. Just point your browser and you can start on your own candy adventure – visit http://candies.aniwey.net.

Luke, PCMag's newest intern, hails from Chicago (originally from Poland). He hopes to bring his gaming expertise and learn to fashion engaging reviews while learning more about all-things tech at the publication. He is a...

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